[Speaker 0] I think it's time for Mike Delve World.

[Speaker 0] There it is.

And here I am.

This [Speaker 0] is Mike, and you're listening to Mike Dell's [Speaker 0] World number four thirty five for November twenty [Speaker 0] ninth twenty twenty five.

Happy Saturday.

And this [Speaker 0] is the pen I have a ultimate episode [Speaker 0] of NAPOD promo twenty five.

I have made [Speaker 0] it twenty nine days.

I have no doubt [Speaker 0] I will do another one tomorrow.

So we [Speaker 0] will have succeeded in completing the NAPOD promo [Speaker 0] challenge.

Also, I'm growing a mustache for Movember [Speaker 0] or I guess it's no shave November, but [Speaker 0] I I decided I didn't wanna go with [Speaker 0] the beard this month, so I've got what [Speaker 0] could be considered a porn stash.

I'll I'll [Speaker 0] throw a picture of it on the post [Speaker 0] for, tomorrow's episode before I, shave it off.

[Speaker 0] But, yeah, not a not a great look.

[Speaker 0] I I I look like a retired airline [Speaker 0] pilot.

That's what I always say.

But, anyway [Speaker 0] so today, I just wanted to kinda do [Speaker 0] a little naval gazing when it comes to [Speaker 0] podcasting.

And, you know, just explain to you [Speaker 0] why podcasting is so special.

And you, as [Speaker 0] a avid podcast listener and maybe even a [Speaker 0] podcaster might already know a lot of these [Speaker 0] things, but, you know, podcasting is very, you [Speaker 0] know, well, not very, but it's just unique.

[Speaker 0] You know, there's not no other medium quite [Speaker 0] like it.

And, yeah, I think the main [Speaker 0] reason that it is the way it is [Speaker 0] is it's built on an open decentralized technology [Speaker 0] called RSS.

I'm not gonna bore you with [Speaker 0] all the gritty details of RSS, but podcasting [Speaker 0] isn't owned by any one company.

It's not [Speaker 0] owned by Apple.

It's not owned by Spotify.

[Speaker 0] It's not owned by YouTube or any of [Speaker 0] the other myriad ways that you can listen [Speaker 0] to a podcast.

But because of the RSS, [Speaker 0] anyone can publish, anyone can listen, and anyone [Speaker 0] can build an app or directory that uses [Speaker 0] the podcast feeds.

This means there's just no [Speaker 0] gatekeepers approving what gets published.

You know, if [Speaker 0] I wanna say a curse word, I'm totally [Speaker 0] able to do that.

Now I don't do [Speaker 0] that as much as I used to on [Speaker 0] podcast just because, you know, unless it's really, [Speaker 0] really, you know, gonna add to the content, [Speaker 0] I I'm not gonna do that.

But there's [Speaker 0] nothing telling me that I can't, and there's [Speaker 0] nobody telling me I can't.

Now you guys [Speaker 0] may not wanna listen to that stuff, but [Speaker 0] that's your choice.

That's the freedom of, you [Speaker 0] know, as a podcast listener, there's, you know, [Speaker 0] reportedly about four to five million podcast feeds [Speaker 0] out there.

Now active podcast somewhere in the [Speaker 0] three hundred thousand range and, you know, active [Speaker 0] defined by, you know, an episode in within [Speaker 0] the last thirty days, which sometimes this one [Speaker 0] has not been active.

But I promise you [Speaker 0] it's gonna be more active because I have [Speaker 0] relearned my love for podcasting.

You know, I [Speaker 0] work in the podcast industry, and I've always [Speaker 0] loved the concept, but actually doing one has [Speaker 0] been, you know, an on and off thing [Speaker 0] for me.

You know, but I love it.

[Speaker 0] But, again, you know, you can choose to [Speaker 0] use whatever app you want as a listener.

[Speaker 0] The creators have full control over their content.

[Speaker 0] The technology has gotten such that it's a [Speaker 0] lot easier to listen to podcasts.

It's a [Speaker 0] lot easier to to, create one.

I mean, [Speaker 0] anybody can, and that's pretty rare today.

You [Speaker 0] know?

It, has another, feature of podcasting is [Speaker 0] it's a much more intimate medium.

You know, [Speaker 0] a lot of, podcast listeners will say something [Speaker 0] like, you know, I I really feel like [Speaker 0] I know the host.

And, you know, in [Speaker 0] my case, I do know a lot of [Speaker 0] hosts of the podcast that I listen to, [Speaker 0] but that's because I can interact with them.

[Speaker 0] They're they're they're people just like me.

I'm [Speaker 0] a person just like you.

You know?

You [Speaker 0] can reach out to me anytime you want [Speaker 0] to, and, chances are I will I will [Speaker 0] respond.

You know?

And another thing that you [Speaker 0] can do with podcast and I'm specifically talking [Speaker 0] to talking about audio.

Technically, podcasting can also [Speaker 0] be video, and you can deliver video just [Speaker 0] like you do audio via RSS.

Nothing particularly [Speaker 0] wrong with that.

But if I wanna watch [Speaker 0] a video, I'm gonna watch it on my [Speaker 0] big screen on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

You [Speaker 0] know, if it's a, RSS delivered podcast, you [Speaker 0] know, I can watch it on my big [Speaker 0] screen TV.

But I I'm talking mainly for [Speaker 0] audio.

So, you know, you can, you know, [Speaker 0] you can take your podcast anywhere where you [Speaker 0] drive, walk the dog, you work, or, even [Speaker 0] flying.

You know?

I've been known to listen [Speaker 0] to podcasts while flying my you know, flying [Speaker 0] the airplane myself.

You know?

Don't don't do [Speaker 0] it with anybody else in the plane, but, [Speaker 0] you know, sometimes, you know, you can do [Speaker 0] that if you want to.

Again, not, not [Speaker 0] necessarily, you know, something that you, you know, [Speaker 0] you have to pay that much attention to.

[Speaker 0] You know?

I I routinely listen to podcasts [Speaker 0] while I blow the snow out of the [Speaker 0] driveway or while I mowing the lawn or [Speaker 0] or, you know, just washing dishes, whatever.

I [Speaker 0] can listen.

I don't have to stare at [Speaker 0] a screen.

You know?

It's it's definitely a [Speaker 0] better medium for me.

You know?

I was [Speaker 0] I was always a fan of talk radio.

[Speaker 0] You know?

And I, worked in the print [Speaker 0] business.

A lot of times, I was working [Speaker 0] night shift, and there's nobody else in the [Speaker 0] building.

And, you know, I'm just running the [Speaker 0] machine or doing some, you know, doing something [Speaker 0] on the computer, whatever.

But I I don't [Speaker 0] have to I didn't have to sit and [Speaker 0] watch anything.

I just listened.

It was like [Speaker 0] radio.

It was better than radio.

Because with [Speaker 0] radio, you know, you don't get to pick [Speaker 0] what comes on next.

With podcast listening, you [Speaker 0] do.

I mean, you don't have to sit [Speaker 0] still to watch the screen.

You don't have [Speaker 0] to scroll.

You don't even have to look [Speaker 0] at it.

You just live your life and [Speaker 0] listen.

And it's very accessible.

That's the other [Speaker 0] thing.

You know, you can launch a podcast, [Speaker 0] and all you need is a microphone, a [Speaker 0] computer, or even just a phone, some place [Speaker 0] to host the files in an RSS feed.

[Speaker 0] And, you know, where you host your files [Speaker 0] usually gives you the means to create an [Speaker 0] RSS feed.

Of course, I work for Blueberry [Speaker 0] Podcasting, so I would say, hey.

You know, [Speaker 0] go over to Blueberry.

We we we'll get [Speaker 0] you covered.

But you can, you know, you [Speaker 0] can do it on the cheap.

You know, [Speaker 0] I started this podcast back in two thousand [Speaker 0] five with a a laptop, which was a [Speaker 0] pretty luxury item at the time.

You know, [Speaker 0] laptops weren't that, ubiquitous in two thousand five.

[Speaker 0] Obviously, there was laptops because I had one, [Speaker 0] and the stupid little stick microphone that came [Speaker 0] with it.

And I was sitting on my [Speaker 0] front porch in Lake Anne, Michigan, and I [Speaker 0] recorded the first episode, of the benzoed report.

[Speaker 0] And I'm still looking for that episode, by [Speaker 0] the way.

If anybody runs across that, I [Speaker 0] would just love to hear how bad it [Speaker 0] was.

But, you know, if you compare it [Speaker 0] to YouTube, you gotta deal with all the [Speaker 0] algorithms over there.

You know, you gotta buy [Speaker 0] all the video gear.

And if you're gonna [Speaker 0] be successful at all at it, you gotta [Speaker 0] edit a lot and and just you know, [Speaker 0] it's a lot of work and expense, and [Speaker 0] YouTube can just decide one day, I don't [Speaker 0] like you anymore.

Poof.

You know?

They turn [Speaker 0] off your channel.

You're done.

You know?

There's [Speaker 0] no no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

[Speaker 0] You know?

YouTube is pretty free, but they [Speaker 0] have that option.

You cannot be canceled as [Speaker 0] a podcaster.

You know?

If you wanted to [Speaker 0] get into broadcasting, you you know, you gotta [Speaker 0] either get a job somewhere, and, of course, [Speaker 0] they're gonna tell you what to say, what [Speaker 0] not to say, when to say it, how [Speaker 0] to say it, what music to play, or [Speaker 0] whatever.

You know, some radio stations are more [Speaker 0] free than others as far as that goes, [Speaker 0] but, you know, you still gotta deal with [Speaker 0] all that.

Or, you know, if you're gonna [Speaker 0] buy your own transmitter, I mean, that is [Speaker 0] expensive.

You know, try to get a a [Speaker 0] a license for broadcasting.

It's not easy.

Even [Speaker 0] the low power FM, which is supposed to [Speaker 0] be easier.

Yeah.

They just don't do it.

[Speaker 0] You know?

It's it's extremely expensive.

You know, [Speaker 0] in streaming platforms, you know, such as Spotify, [Speaker 0] YouTube, you know, I would consider them streaming [Speaker 0] platform.

You get what I mean.

Or, you [Speaker 0] know, even Netflix.

You know, you're not gonna [Speaker 0] get a show on Netflix, you know, unless [Speaker 0] you're, you know, doing some high quality thing [Speaker 0] that costs lots of money.

And then, you [Speaker 0] know, you might get lots of money, but [Speaker 0] there's not anything that, you know, not anything [Speaker 0] in that business that is easy, cheap, free, [Speaker 0] or simple.

You know?

Podcasting, like I said, [Speaker 0] anybody can do it, and anybody can listen [Speaker 0] to it.

Also, you have global reach with [Speaker 0] podcasts.

You know, my podcast doesn't stop at [Speaker 0] the US border.

My podcast goes worldwide with [Speaker 0] the exception of a couple places, but, you [Speaker 0] know, a podcast we created right here in [Speaker 0] Traverse City can be listened to in Iceland, [Speaker 0] Japan, Germany, truck cab in Ohio, a Cessna [Speaker 0] one seventy two over Wisconsin.

It can just [Speaker 0] be anywhere.

You know, somebody on a John [Speaker 0] Deere tractor out in Iowa.

It's just could [Speaker 0] could be anywhere.

You know, chances are my [Speaker 0] show is kinda local, but, you know, you [Speaker 0] get the global reach, and it feels very [Speaker 0] local.

You know, I listen to a couple [Speaker 0] of shows that, talk about Las Vegas.

And [Speaker 0] I almost feel like I'm a local sometimes [Speaker 0] because, you know, I know some of these [Speaker 0] places.

And, you know, here I am in [Speaker 0] Traverse City, and and I know what they're [Speaker 0] talking about when they're talking about some restaurant [Speaker 0] space in Aria.

Yeah.

I've been there.

Or [Speaker 0] I I can go there.

I know about [Speaker 0] it.

You know?

You know, you can also [Speaker 0] do, long form content that you can't do [Speaker 0] on radio or broadcast or even streaming.

You [Speaker 0] know?

I if I wanted to go three [Speaker 0] hours talking, I could go three hours, and [Speaker 0] you as a listener could listen to all [Speaker 0] three hours, or you could listen to ten [Speaker 0] minutes here, ten minutes there, and consume the [Speaker 0] whole thing eventually or decide it's not for [Speaker 0] you and and leave.

You know?

That's the [Speaker 0] beauty of, you know, podcasting.

You know?

I [Speaker 0] don't know.

It just, I don't know.

I [Speaker 0] love it.

I you know, I'm I've I'm [Speaker 0] falling back in love with it, I I [Speaker 0] guess, is the right way to put it.

[Speaker 0] And, hence, you know, I've got a a [Speaker 0] little project coming, which you'll find out about [Speaker 0] tomorrow if you haven't already got the clue.

[Speaker 0] But, anyway, we'll see how that goes.

You [Speaker 0] know, and it can still have a lot [Speaker 0] of huge growth.

Now, you know, everybody's talking [Speaker 0] about video podcasting and big platforms and all [Speaker 0] that.

You know what?

You can get a [Speaker 0] simple little podcast app over at new podcast [Speaker 0] apps dot com in one of the podcasting [Speaker 0] two point o apps.

Subscribe to any RSS [Speaker 0] feed you want.

And most podcasters that know [Speaker 0] what they're doing have their RSS feed easily [Speaker 0] accessible, and, you know, they can you you [Speaker 0] can just copy paste that in there and [Speaker 0] subscribe whether or not and subscribe doesn't mean [Speaker 0] pay money.

Follow is the new word they're [Speaker 0] trying to use, but I guess it doesn't [Speaker 0] really matter what they call it.

But, you [Speaker 0] know, you put that in your podcast app, [Speaker 0] whatever that app is.

And whenever a new [Speaker 0] episode comes, it pulls it down, puts it [Speaker 0] on your phone or your computer or whatever.

[Speaker 0] You know, when podcasting first started, you had [Speaker 0] to do it on a computer, and then [Speaker 0] you synced it with your m p three [Speaker 0] player.

Now it's so much easier.

You got [Speaker 0] a phone.

Most people have a smartphone, and [Speaker 0] even some of the dumb phones have a [Speaker 0] podcast app on it.

And, you know, it [Speaker 0] automatically shows up on your phone.

Whenever you [Speaker 0] wanna list, You just bring up the app [Speaker 0] and say, hey.

I wanna listen to that.

[Speaker 0] You hit play, put your earbuds in, stick [Speaker 0] it in your pocket, or link it to [Speaker 0] your Bluetooth in your car or however you [Speaker 0] choose to listen.

And you can do that.

[Speaker 0] But, you know, it it's definitely something that [Speaker 0] is free for both the listeners and the [Speaker 0] podcasters.

Free as in freedom, not, free as [Speaker 0] in free of cost.

I I mean, you [Speaker 0] guys still gotta pay for your phone plan [Speaker 0] or your Internet connection or the device itself [Speaker 0] and your earbuds and, you know, all that [Speaker 0] as a listener.

And as a podcaster, you [Speaker 0] know, I've got a pretty elaborate setup here, [Speaker 0] but you don't need this much, gear to [Speaker 0] make it work.

But you can have, you [Speaker 0] know, little podcasts about whatever, you know, little [Speaker 0] passions and, you know, I I don't expect [Speaker 0] to set the world on fire with this [Speaker 0] show.

You know, I got, you know, got [Speaker 0] a core group of listeners that I hear [Speaker 0] from.

I've got, you know, a fair number [Speaker 0] of other listeners that I never hear from.

[Speaker 0] And I can tell that from my statistics, [Speaker 0] and they're all over the world.

You know?

[Speaker 0] I I had a listener in Antarctica, part [Speaker 0] of the year, you know, when, they were [Speaker 0] down in, in Antarctica.

And I actually reached [Speaker 0] out to them, you know, said, hey.

You [Speaker 0] know?

And I didn't know who they were, [Speaker 0] but, I never did hear back.

But, anyway [Speaker 0] but you could have a podcast about anything, [Speaker 0] or you can find a podcast about anything.

[Speaker 0] I mean, you go into any of these [Speaker 0] podcast apps and you search for a subject, [Speaker 0] and you're more than likely gonna find more [Speaker 0] than one on that subject.

Certain subjects have [Speaker 0] a lot more.

You know, there's a lot [Speaker 0] of comedy, a lot of true crime, a [Speaker 0] lot of religion, a lot of politics.

There's [Speaker 0] there's all the stuff that you can get [Speaker 0] in podcast that you're not gonna get anywhere [Speaker 0] else.

And and the other thing, you know, [Speaker 0] podcasters that I know, you know, they're worried [Speaker 0] about competition.

You're not competing with other podcasters.

[Speaker 0] If, you know, if I'm interested in flying, [Speaker 0] I subscribe to many podcasts about flying.

You [Speaker 0] know?

There there's some that I favor more [Speaker 0] than others.

But, again, you know, I subscribe [Speaker 0] to those, and I usually listen to most [Speaker 0] of them that I subscribe to.

You know?

[Speaker 0] You look at my phone, it's ridiculous.

I've [Speaker 0] got, you know, just all kinds of podcasts [Speaker 0] on there, and I'm, you know, I'm an [Speaker 0] avid listener.

I don't have as much time [Speaker 0] to listen as I would like, but, you [Speaker 0] know, going into this winter season, I'm gonna [Speaker 0] be spending a lot of time on the [Speaker 0] tractor, and and I got my, Bose noise [Speaker 0] canceling headphones that I wear and, you know, [Speaker 0] when I'm on the tractor.

And and I [Speaker 0] that's what I'm listening to.

I'm listening to [Speaker 0] podcasts.

I got a playlist, and it just [Speaker 0] blah blah blah blah blah.

You know?

And [Speaker 0] and, you know, and and it's an intimate [Speaker 0] experience.

Again, you know, if you're listening to [Speaker 0] me on earbuds, I'm right in your head.

[Speaker 0] You look out.

You know, you don't get [Speaker 0] that with, you know, listening to the radio [Speaker 0] sitting over on the workbench while you're doing [Speaker 0] something in, you know, it's right there.

Or [Speaker 0] if you wanna listen to it on the [Speaker 0] big, you know, speaker in the in the [Speaker 0] workbench in the garage, that's, you know, again, [Speaker 0] your choice.

Well, you know, where you don't [Speaker 0] get the choice of that.

You know, when [Speaker 0] you're watching TV, you gotta stare at the [Speaker 0] TV, and you gotta watch all the stupid [Speaker 0] commercials.

I I don't watch a lot of [Speaker 0] local TV or any TV, really, a normal [Speaker 0] TV because I can't stand the commercials.

I [Speaker 0] you know, now some of them are kind [Speaker 0] of funny and, you know, I do watch [Speaker 0] a little bit of the local news from [Speaker 0] time to time, you know, that kind of [Speaker 0] thing.

But, you know, the commercial load on [Speaker 0] TV is just insane.

And, you know, and [Speaker 0] some podcasts.

You know, there are a lot [Speaker 0] of podcasts out there that overdo the the [Speaker 0] ads and stuff.

YouTube too.

You know, if [Speaker 0] you're not paying YouTube for a premium subscription, [Speaker 0] you're gonna get all kinds of commercials.

And [Speaker 0] even if you pay for the YouTube premium, [Speaker 0] you know, they have, host read endorsements.

And, [Speaker 0] you know, that's fine.

You know, the YouTubers [Speaker 0] need to make some money, and and that's [Speaker 0] that's okay.

But you as a listener of [Speaker 0] a podcast can choose, you know, hey.

This [Speaker 0] has got too many commercials in it.

I'm [Speaker 0] not gonna listen.

You know?

But most of [Speaker 0] the time, the the podcasters, you know, they [Speaker 0] have a little commercial here or there, maybe [Speaker 0] a pre roll or a post roll, something [Speaker 0] like that that, isn't true too intrusive.

You [Speaker 0] watch YouTube without having premium.

They cut right [Speaker 0] in the middle of somebody's sentence.

It's just [Speaker 0] ridiculous.

You know, and same same thing with [Speaker 0] radio.

You listen to talk radio.

You get [Speaker 0] ten minutes of the program and four minutes [Speaker 0] of commercials or something similar to that.

I [Speaker 0] don't know.

I haven't listened to it enough [Speaker 0] lately.

Since Rush Limbaugh died, I haven't really [Speaker 0] listened to a lot of talk radio.

I [Speaker 0] do listen to Ron Jolly in the morning.

[Speaker 0] He's on our local WTCM.

I listen to [Speaker 0] him periodically in the morning, and and, you [Speaker 0] know, there there there's quite a bit of [Speaker 0] commercials, but that's alright.

It's, you know, good [Speaker 0] information.

So, you know, you choose what you [Speaker 0] wanna put up with.

So, anyway, I'm just [Speaker 0] you know, I wanted to do an episode [Speaker 0] here for National Podcast Posting Month, Naypod Pomo.

[Speaker 0] Go check it out over at naypod pomo [Speaker 0] dot o r g, I think.

Is it [Speaker 0] okay.

Is that an org or a com?

[Speaker 0] I think it's an org.

Naypod pomo dot [Speaker 0] org.

Yes.

I am correct.

Oh, maybe not.

[Speaker 0] Hang on.

Nay pod pomo dot org?

Oh, [Speaker 0] maybe they got a problem.

Oh, don't go [Speaker 0] there now.

Nope.

Account has been suspended.

Uh-oh.

[Speaker 0] I don't know what happened.

They're probably really [Speaker 0] busy this month and ran out of, bandwidth, [Speaker 0] but it is napod pomo dot org.

Go [Speaker 0] go look on Facebook.

There's a, napod pomo [Speaker 0] Facebook group that, that is active.

So, yeah, [Speaker 0] that's crazy.

It must have just went down.

[Speaker 0] Hopefully, by the time you hear this, because [Speaker 0] I'm recording it a day early, by the [Speaker 0] time you hear this, maybe she'll have it [Speaker 0] back up and running.

It's, Jennifer.

I never [Speaker 0] can mess I I always mess up her [Speaker 0] name, Navarante or something close to that.

Sorry, [Speaker 0] Jen.

Anyway, you know, she listens sometimes.

But, [Speaker 0] yeah.

So, you know, in in honor of [Speaker 0] that, I and, just I'm just happy I [Speaker 0] actually made it all the way through.

And [Speaker 0] and this year, I I have to say [Speaker 0] it was easy because I got my setup [Speaker 0] here to where, literally, I open up one [Speaker 0] program, hit a couple of buttons, hit the [Speaker 0] record button, lean back in my desk chair [Speaker 0] here, and talk into the microphone.

And when [Speaker 0] I'm done, I save the file.

I run [Speaker 0] it through a couple of processes, post it [Speaker 0] on my website.

You know?

I you know, [Speaker 0] do a half hour podcast takes me about [Speaker 0] forty minutes.

You know?

Well, it depends on [Speaker 0] how much I prep for it.

It because [Speaker 0] a lot of times I just flip the [Speaker 0] mic on and start talking as you can [Speaker 0] tell, but, not always.

You know?

Sometimes I [Speaker 0] do prep a little bit.

But, you know, [Speaker 0] for the most part, it's a, you know, [Speaker 0] ten minutes on either end and and it's [Speaker 0] done.

It's published.

It's out there.

The world [Speaker 0] can get to it, and it's just something [Speaker 0] that's sort of special.

So with that, I'll [Speaker 0] leave you till tomorrow.

And tomorrow, I do [Speaker 0] have a bit of an announcement and a [Speaker 0] few, other little things to tidy up before [Speaker 0] the end of the month, and I will